Elevator-guard.



.No. 830,427. PATENTED SEPT. 4, 1906. w. K. FRASER.

ELEVATOR GUARD.

unmnmu FILED APR. 24, 1906.

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No. 830,421 PATENTED SEPT. 4, 1906. w. K. FRASER.

ELEVATOR GUARD. APPLIOATION EILED APR. 24, 190R 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2. D

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM K. FRASER, OF BREWER,

MAINE, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-EIGHTH TO JAMES H. BURGESS, OF BANGOR, MAINE, ANDONE-EIGHTH TO FRANK A. FLOYD, OF BREWER, MAINE.

ELEVATOR-GUARD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 4, 1906.

Application filed April 24, 1906. Serial No. 313.504.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM K. FRASER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Brewer, in the county of Penobscot and State of Maine, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Elevator-Guards, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to elevator-guards and the operating mechanismtherefor, the object of the present invention being to provide a guardor door for the openings of elevator wells or shafts associated withmechanism for automatically operating said door or guard to open thesame upon the approach of an elevator and close the same as the elevatormoves onward therefrom, the mechanism operating automatically andrequirin no attention on the part of the operator of the elevator orcar.

One of the main objects of the invention is to provide in connectionwith a movable guard or door for the purpose described a latch forsecurely holding the door when closed, combined with mechanism forwithdrawing the latch and then operating the door to open the same, themechanism subsequently operating to close the door or guard and relatchthe same.

With the above and other objects in view, the nature of which will morefully appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in thenovel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinaftermore fully described, illustrated, and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view in elevation of anelevator door or guard, showing the operating mechanism therefor. Fig. 2is a similar view showing the operation of the latch mechanism, also thedoor opening and closing mechanism. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the same.-Fig. 4 is an enlarged inside face view of the bearingbracket. Fig. 5 isa plan view of the slide or draw-bar.

In carrying out the present invention I employ a door or guardconsisting of horizontal rails 1 and 2, connected by vertical palings orpickets 3, each of which is pivotally connected at the points 4. and 5to the up er and lower rails 1 and 2, respectively. ny desired number ofhorizontal rails and any desired number of pickets or palings may beemployed.

One of the horizontal rails of the guard or door and preferably theupper one is extended far enough to provide for pivotally connecting thesame at 6 to the frame of the elevator shaft or well at one side of theopening across which the door or guard extends, as shown in Fig. 2, andunder the preferred embodiment of this invention a bearingbracket 7 issecured to the frame of the well or shaft and provided with the pivot 6,upon which the top rail of the guard is mounted. Said rail is alsoextended a considerable distance beyond the pivot 6 to provide aleverarm 8, and under the preferred embodiment of the invention acounterbalance-weight 9 is mounted on the extremity of said arm tofacilitate the folding and unfolding or opening and closing of theguard. Journaled upon the bracket 7 is a gear-wheel 9, from which apitman or connecting rod 10 extends to and pivotally connects with thelever-arm 8, as shown in Fig. 1, so that as said gear-wheel 10 revolvesthe pitman will vibrate the leverarm 9 and open or close the guard, theguard swinging upward and folding against one side of the doorway.

Connected to the car or elevator (shown at 11) is a post 12, to which isconnected a vertically-extending rack-bar 13, which meshes with thegear-wheel 10, so as to impart rotary motion to said wheel in themovement of the elevator up and down, the length of the rack-bar 13being equivalent to the circumference of the wheel 10, whereby onecomplete revolution is imparted to the wheel 10 in the complete movementof the rack-bar 13 across the toothed periphery of said wheel, therebyeffecting a complete opening and closing of the guard.

Adjacent to each end the rack-bar is provided with a cam-surface 14,which presses outward against a roller 15, carried by a slide or drawbar 16, which slides back and forth in a groove 17 in the inner face ofthe bracket 7. This draw-bar has attached thereto at the point 18 aflexible connection 19, which may consist of a chain or cable, thelatter passing through the upper rail 1 of the guard, said rail beingpreferably made hollow or provided with a passage extending lengthwisetherethrough from end to end, as shown in Fig. 2, to receive such cableor chain. Connected to the opposite end of said chain or cable is alatch-bolt 20, the extremity of which is urged outward to engage asuitable keeper 21 on the frame of the well or shaft by teeth of thegear 9 the cam-surface 14 at one end of the rack moves the draw-bar 16in a direction away from the doorway, thus pulling on the connection 19and withdrawing the latch-bolt 20 from the keeper 21. As the guard againreaches its closed position the remaining cam-surface 14 at the oppositeend of the rack-bar again withdraws the latch and then releases it,allowing said latch to move into engagement with its keeper.

It will thus be seen that the operation of the guard is entirelyautomatic, requiring no attention on the part of the operator, themechanism serving to unlatch the guard, open the same, again close theguard, and relatch the same.

I claim 1. The combination with a pivoted and swinging guard or door foran elevator-shaft, and a latch bolt and keeper for locking the guard,and means actuated by the movement of the car for withdrawing the latchfrom the keeper, swinging the guard on its pivot and subsequentlyreleasing the latch to again lock the guard.

2. The combination with a pivoted and swinging guard or door for anelevator-shaft, and a spring-sustained latch for locking said guard ordoor, of means actuated by the movement of the car for withdrawing thelatch, opening and closing the guard or door by a pivotal and swingingmovement and releasing the latch.

3. The combination with the guard or door of an elevator-shaft, saiddoor being provided with a hollow rail, of a spring-held latch carriedby the guard or door, and means actuated by the elevator-car andincluding a connection which passes through the hollow rail of the guardor door, operating to withdraw the latch, open and close the guard ordoor and release the latch, substantially as described.

4. The combination with the guard or door of an elevator-shaft, and alatch carried by the guard or door, of a slide or draw-bar connectedwith said latch, a rotary element connected with the guard for openingand closing the same, and a rectilinearly-movable element carried by thecar and adapted to engage the draw-bar for shifting the latch and alsoadapted to engage the rotary element for opening and closing the car ordoor.

5. The combination with the guard or door of an elevator-shaft, and alatch carried thereby, of a draw-bar connected with said latch, agear-wheel connected with the guard or door to open and close thelatter, and a rack carried by the car and engaging said gear-wheel torotate the latter and provided with one or more cam-surfaces whichoperate to move the draw-bar and shift the latch, substantially asdescribed.

6. The combination with the guard or door of an elevator-shaft and alatch carried thereby, of a gear-wheel operatively connected with theguard or door for opening and closing the latter, a sliding draw barconnected with said latch, and a rack-bar carried by the car and adaptedto engage said gear-wheel to impart rotar movement thereto and alsoprovided wit cam-surfaces arranged at a suitable distance apart andoperating to move the draw-bar to shift the latch for the purpose ofwithdrawing the same'preparatory to opening the guard or door andrelease the same to lock the guard or door after the latter is returnedto its closed position.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM K. FRASER.

Witnesses:

FREDERICK H. CosTELLo, OSCAR L. OLSEN.

